WILD TURKEY SHOOTING. 



CAPT. C. J. CRANE, U.S.A. 



For the first hour after leaving the roost 

 in the morning turkeys are very busy eat- 

 ing, and during that time the hunter can 

 approach them more easily than in the mid- 

 dle of the day. Pecans, acorns, grass seeds, 

 berries, and green grass constitute their 

 diet in Texas and the Indian Territory. In 

 New Mexico and Arizona they have no 

 pecans, but are very fond of the nuts from 

 the pifion and pine trees, which are abun- 

 dant. 



If at the break of day the hunter is in the 

 vicinity of the roost, but has not seen the 

 turkeys, he will easily discover their where- 

 abouts from the noise they usually make 

 before flying down. In the middle of the 

 day the best hiding places, usually thick 

 imderbrush, will have to be searched to 

 find them. In a prairie country the timber 

 is nearly all concentrated along the water- 

 courses, and pecan and cottonwood trees 

 offer good roosts, and the underbrush gives 

 good hiding places. In the mountains of 

 the far Southwest, concealment is easy, the 

 real trouble being, not for the turkey to 

 hide, but for the hunter to find him. 



When not much hunted, turkeys will 

 sometimes fly into low trees to get some- 

 thing to eat. Sometimes they do so to hide, 

 especially when suddenly disturbed by 

 dogs or wild animals. Some hunters use 

 dogs in hunting them, the dog being trained 

 to rush suddenly among them, when some 

 or all of the flock will take to the trees, and 

 give opportunities for several shots. 



The son of our post commander — a boy 

 of about 16 — one day killed 8 turkeys out of 

 a single flock; his pointer dog treeing the 

 birds. 



I went hunting the same day, and thought 

 I did well to kill 2 birds, but I had no dog. 

 Dogs that have been trained to hunt quails 

 take naturally to turkey hunting. The large 

 bird will hide like the small one, wherever 

 it can find concealment, and like the small 

 bird, will fly out of cover and offer a good 

 shot. 



I was with a hunting party from Fort 

 Sill, in December, 1887, on Deep Red creek, 

 and one day killed 9 birds, all but one hav- 

 ing been flushed and shot like quails. 



An old turkey hen, with a brood of small 

 ones, will make the little birds conceal 

 themselves, and while they are escaping she 

 will run around trying to keep attention 

 directed to herself, in this resembling all 

 other birds. 



The senses of seeing and hearing are ex- 

 tremely well developed in turkeys, and they 

 waste no time in settling the question as to 

 whether the object just seen is a man or 

 only a stump. A deer may stop to make 



sure before running away, but the bird 

 seems to see correctly at once, and to need 

 no confirmation of its suspicions. Still, 

 when advantage is taken of every cover and 

 inequality of the ground, it is possible to get 

 very close to a flock, close enough some- 

 times for the hunter to use both barrels 

 with deadly effect. 



No other bird in America can run so fast 

 as the turkey, but when caught some dis*- 

 tance away from thick woods they have fre- 

 quently been run down and captured by a 

 horseman. They cannot fly more than from 

 Yi to 24 of a mile the first flight, even when 

 thin, and if fat the distance will be less. 

 The second flight will be much shorter; the 

 same with the second run, so that many 

 turkeys have been run down and caught 

 after running and flying from Y? a mile to 2 

 miles. 



The poor things get so exhausted that 

 they cannot fly any more and cannot run 

 faster than a man can walk. Of course the 

 chase would have to be pushed without any 

 let up, in order to be successful. It is said — 

 and I believe it — that the Indians of Arizona 

 sometimes run down and catch turkeys, in 

 their mountains, on foot. 



While hunting, the proximity of a flock, 

 or even of one bird, can often be detected 

 from the signs around, such as fresh tracks, 

 scratching, droppings, etc. The presence of 

 anything that turkeys eat should keep the 

 hunter always on the lookout. A good- 

 looking piece of woods for squirrels and 

 deer, 'possums and 'coons, will be just as 

 good for turkeys, and more care must be 

 taken. The hunter must be ready to shoot, 

 for the birds will surely run or fly as soon as 

 they see or hear him, and it is generally use- 

 less to race after them. It will be good 

 hunting to find them again an hour af- 

 ter. Sunken paths, ravines, or creek-beds 

 should be followed for short distances at a 

 time, with frequent peering over the bank 

 and examining of the surrounding country. 



A turkey call is of great assistance at any 

 season of the year, especially when the birds 

 are about to mate in the Spring. If the birds 

 are young and have not been made wild by 

 hunting, a party of hunters could kill more 

 of them by merely locating the roost, dur- 

 ing the day, and shooting at night. 



This requires that the hunters should all 

 be skilled in night shooting. Usually, how- 

 ever, turkeys are hunted all day, and at 

 night too, if their roost can be located. 



Turkeys are usually fattest in the Spring, 

 but it is not right to kill them then, and in 

 most States they are protected by law. 



In the open countries, Oklahoma and In- 

 dian Territories, turkey hunting, as it has 



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